Virginia panel proposes immigration reform

RICHMOND, Va., Nov. 24 (UPI) -- The Virginia Commission on Immigration is preparing to send Gov. Tim Kaine a package of reforms that will help immigrants rather than penalize them.

The panel's recommendations include increasing the number of English classes, shortening Medicaid residency requirements and extending in-state tuition to immigrants who meet certain criteria, The Washington Post reported Monday.

The commission spent more than a year writing the recommendations and conducting public hearings. Their proposals include the creation of an immigrant assistance office.

One Virginia legislator who served on the commission, Del. C. Todd Gilbert, R-Woodstock, described the panel's approach to enforcement as "very much watered down."

"It was pretty clear the fix was in from the beginning," Gilbert told the Post.

Of the 12 million illegal immigrants estimated to be in the United States, 250,000 to 300,000 live in Virginia, the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington said.